Obviously, we want to cover BlackBerry’s statement that it is abandoning the consumer market which should provoke an interesting social media reaction, but while we’re still collecting and digesting the data we’ve had to focus on matters closer to home: the Government’s latest ‘bounce back Britain’ campaign – to enduce public panic buying via governmental PR.

Panic buying is an annual occurence thanks to the buget – people (apparently) stock pile booze and cigarrettes in the run up to the price rises implemented to save the nation’s health – but this week’s fuel strike announcement has taken things to a whole new level.

Let’s take a look at the situation through Brandwatch.

First we look at volume and as we know, panic has been rising throughout the week.

Fig 1. Fuel Crisis: Volume – 23rd – 30th March 2011

Next step, as always in a crisis, is to find out who we should be blaming. There are several likely suspects including:

David Cameron et al for telling everyone to panic in the first place

Petrol stations, who are now suspiciously independently upping their fuel prices

Labour for wasting time scoffing last minute pasties before the tax rise on those

How could we make sure that this blame is fairly attributed? Yes, that’s right, a Brandwatch wordcloud.

Fuel Panic Wordcloud

And there you are: the Government would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling TANKER DRIVERS.